It is not all University University Lecturers that are qualified to join the INEC team in its unalloyed commitment towards delivering a free, fair and credible election in 2023.
According to the INEC boss, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will not accept the nomination of university lecturers who are card carrying members of a political party or had participated in partisan politics or convicted of electoral malpractice as Returning and State Collation Officers in the forthcoming polls.
The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made this known in Abuja, at a meeting with Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities.
Yakubu said that for 2023 general elections collation of results would take place in 8,809 Registration Areas or Wards, 774 Local Government Areas, 36 States and the FCT that required returning officers for each constituency.
According to him, : “Put together, we will engage 23,258 personnel as Collation and Returning Officers. It is for this reason that this meeting is of crucial.”
“We need the support of our universities to source the requisite number of suitably academic staff of impeccable integrity who must also understand that this is a call to national service.”
“As in previous elections, we have requested each University for a specified number and category of academic staff as contained in my letter to the Vice Chancellors.
“I must warn that staff who are card carrying members or have participated in partisan politics should not be nominated.”
“Similarly, those who may not be involved in partisan politics but are known to have obvious political leanings should not be nominated.”
“Furthermore, those who have been convicted of electoral malpractice must be excluded.”
According to Yakubu, ” INEC would carefully scrutinise the list which must be submitted confidentially in the manner prescribed by the commission in his letter to the Vice Chancellors.”
“Like all election duty personnel, each collation and returning officer will swear to an oath of neutrality.”
